title: Clinical evaluation of radiographic progression in rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Four rheumatologists and 2 radiologists utilized 3 reading techniques to evaluate clinical radiographic progression in selected serial hand and wrist films from 5 rheumatoid arthritis patients. The carpometacarpal radio determinations were the most internally consistent; global assessment and total erosion + joint space narrowing scores showed the best between-method correlations; and the erosion + joint space narrowing scores depicted most sensitively the progression over time which was not affected by immunomodulating agent or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent therapy. In this study, instructed, non-experienced readers detected rheumatoid radiographic progression utilizing readily available scoring techniques.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27103.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Flint
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Semble
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Agudelo
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D011859:Radiography; D013679:Technology, Radiologic